‘I believe there are … tests. But you don’t need to worry about it for now. Just concentrate on learning magic and you’ll find out in good time.’ She smiles kindly. ‘You’re only eleven, remember. Carys didn’t mean for you to hear that. Not yet.’ Sylvie rubs her hands together. ‘Now, before we head over to the big top, I have some news. I’ve been asked to run a small circus in Victoria.’

‘Victoria?’ I say. It must be at least a fifteen-hour drive away. ‘But what about our act?’

She nods. ‘If I’m going to do it, I have to leave tomorrow.’

‘Do you want to do it?’

‘I do …’ She looks out the door of the tent to the trees. ‘It’s always been my dream to run my own circus. I learnt how not to do it when I took over from Mr Potts for a while all those years ago. I want a fresh start.’

I really want her to stay. But I see how her eyes shine when she talks about running a circus. ‘You should go, then,’ I say. ‘If that’s your dream, you should go.’

‘Thank you,’ she says.

‘Thank you for saving Mum,’ I say. ‘I know it must have been … so hard to give up magic.’

‘It was hard. It’s still hard.’ She smiles. ‘But I lived without it for fifteen years. So I know what it’s like. And … it always seemed to complicate things for me, so perhaps I’m better off without it. I still want to be rich, though!’ She laughs. ‘But I’ll have to find another way. Maybe this new circus will be it.’ She pulls me into a quick, awkward hug. ‘I couldn’t let Merry die. And I couldn’t let you end your magic career before it really began. Which is especially important if you are The One.’ She holds me at arm’s length. ‘I’m very proud of you, Tulsi,’ she says. ‘I’m so, so proud.’

Backstage, I button up my new, sparkly red suit. Mum smiles and hands me my top hat. ‘Our last performance with Sylvie,’ she says. ‘Let’s make it our best yet.’

The lights dim and the music swells. Vince pushes through the velvet curtains and strides into the spotlit ring. His voice fills the tent. ‘A warm welcome to Potts’s Famous Travelling Circus, bigger than ever, better than ever. We’re here to dazzle and delight you.

‘What a treat we have for you this evening. A brand-new, awe-inspiring magic act. Let me introduce you to our head magician – my sister, Merry Williams, and her daughter, Tulsi. Only eleven and already a mistress of magic! Please welcome Merry and Tulsi!’